Patna: A fresh government has taken shape in Bihar, with Nitish Kumar sworn in as chief minister for a record tenth term and 26 ministers inducted at a grand ceremony in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan. Fourteen berths went to the BJP, eight to the JD(U), two to the LJP (Ram Vilas), and one each to HAM (S) and the RLM. Among the returnees in the BJP’s quota were familiar names such as Samrat Chaudhary, Vijay Kumar Sinha and Mangal Pandey.
But one absence has overshadowed the new line-up: Nitish Mishra, the BJP MLA and outgoing Industries Minister, was not returned to the cabinet — a decision that has triggered online commentary and raised uncomfortable questions about how power is being allocated in Bihar’s ruling coalition.
Mishra, who secured his seat with a commanding lead of almost 55,000 votes, was widely regarded as one of the more active ministers in the outgoing government. His removal prompted immediate backlash on social media. A popular Bihar-focused page on X posted a stinging jibe: “Name: Nitish Mishra. Crime: Being the most educated among illiterate people.” Another account that tracks tourism and public affairs in the state asked, “He did well as Industries Minister — so why is he missing from the cabinet?”
It’s disappointing that Nitish Mishra wasn’t inducted into the new Bihar cabinet. His tenure as Industries Minister was commendable, and Bihar needs leaders like him to drive investment and growth.
A disappointing move by @BJP4India.@mishranitish #Bihar pic.twitter.com/yUZuzYvbz4
— Avinaash K Jha (@iavinashkjha) November 20, 2025
The discontent found further expression in the hashtag-driven campaign pushing Mishra’s name into nationwide trends. The Voice of Kosi posted: “It’s Nitish Mishra’s work that he’s trending on X without even becoming a minister.”
आज के शपथ ग्रहण समारोह से एक बात साफ़ हो गया कि जो भी बिहार मे औद्योगिक विकास की बात करेगा चाहे वो मंत्री हो या अधिकारी उन्हें रास्ते से साइड कर दिया जाएगा। पहले @ShahnawazBJP जी और अब @mishranitish जी, अधिकारियों में Sandeep Paundrik sir & Bandana Preyashi ma’am. @BJP4Bihar pic.twitter.com/MluSDZznHq
— The Voice of Kosi (@voiceofkosi) November 20, 2025
Mishra is no newcomer to governance. Between 2005 and 2015, he held several portfolios in the state cabinet, including rural development, social welfare, disaster management and sugarcane industries. He later served as vice-president of the BJP’s Bihar unit. His academic résumé, notably stronger than that of many colleagues, includes an MBA from institutions in India and the Netherlands, a postgraduate diploma in global political economy from the University of Hull and an executive programme at Harvard Kennedy School.
आज, नई दिल्ली में आयोजित बिहार इंडस्ट्रियल इन्वेस्टमेंट प्रमोशन पैकेज (BIIPP) 2025 के प्रोमोशन कार्यक्रम में माननीय मंत्री श्री नीतीश मिश्रा ने निवेशकों को संबोधित किया।
अपने संबोधन में उन्होंने अपील की —
“बिहार को कानों से नहीं, आँखों से देखिए,”
और इस बात पर ज़ोर दिया कि राज्य… pic.twitter.com/5DVRJk07ru— Department of Industries, Bihar (@IndustriesBihar) September 24, 2025
As Industries Minister in the 2024–25 term, Mishra was credited with accelerating policy reforms intended to reposition Bihar as an investment destination. Under his watch, the department pushed the New Industrial Policy, the Startup Bihar Policy, the Chief Minister’s Entrepreneur Scheme, a logistics vision and plans for integrated manufacturing clusters — all pitched as building blocks for a “self-reliant Bihar.” Officials in the department say that the groundwork laid over the past year aimed to boost local manufacturing and stimulate private investment in a historically under-industrialised state.
Yet, despite that record, the BJP’s top leadership appears to have opted for a different internal balance. While the party has rewarded several loyalists and returned many familiar faces to the cabinet, Mishra’s exclusion stands out as a point of friction, sparking speculation about intra-party equations — and whether technocratic governance is giving way to political signalling.
